A titanium EZ Sport frame with a CF fork. I'll do the rest. bk

The story is too long to relate but if I get what my son says he is going to get me, I will be pretty happy on Christmas Day. An authentic TDF leaders jersey actually worn in the TDF. A nince space for the jersey once framed awaits in my office.

Cranky, I hope your wish comes true, and that we can all learn to value what's truly important in life.

What type of MS does she have? We thought my SIL may have it (the neuro doc said no) so I read up on it and learned there are 4 main types. One type is made worse by physical activity, but I recently read about a woman with MS whose condition is helped by cycling.

Thanks Yen, let's hope that everyone's wishes come true.

Her M.S. is the relapsing-remitting type. She was diagnosed in 1991 when our oldest
was five and the twins were just two and the first nine years were pretty rough. Now
remember that stress plays hell with patients of auto-immune diseases and me working
shifts at a shrinking plant and having the little ones did a number on both of us. But
she's tough and in 2000 she was put on Copaxone which stopped the progression
of the disease dead in its tracks. The oldest is off on her own now and the twins are
Sophomores in college, and though we don't have nearly enough money to do so, I do
have enough time with the company to retire with a small pension and health care for
myself which dampens the fears of job loss and so reduces the stress levels. The
company is phasing out benefits for retirees dependents so we're kinda in a pickle in that respect
but we'll figure something out. She's feeling good enough now that she made a decision
that I'm not sure I agree with....since Kodak's health care benefits are so lousey now
she has decided that we can't afford both the Copaxone and helping the twins out with
their educations and has stopped taking the medicine thereby joining ranks with the
estimated 47% of Americans that are foregoing health treatments due to unaffordable
costs. Five months off the meds and she's still doing well, and she doesn't miss the
side effects of the drug.

She's not unaffected by the disease by any means, but if you don't know she has it
you can't tell that anything's wrong. 33 years married and almost 18 of them with a
nasty disease and life has not really been all that bad for us. We just keep on truckin'
and she keeps making life pleasant for me and the girls. We're blessed to have her as
a wife and mother.

Here's a prime example of the positive vibes she gives to those
around her. One of our twin daughters has Crohn's Disease and at 15 years of age
spent from Feb 4th until Apr 29th in the hospital getting diagnosed and treated. During
this period she was not allowed any solids or fluids by mouth, underwent several
surgeries, contracted phneumonia and endured a Colonectomy (sp?) followed by a
year with an Ileostomy. After her reconnective surgery I asked her her how she
managed the day to day trials of the hospital stay and the year of embarrasments
and fears that followed. Her answer was short and poignant, "I just did what Mom would
have done." That little girl went on to graduate at the top of her class and earned a
great scholarship at a very respected Engineering College. I'm confident she'll continue
to handle her auto-immune disease with the quiet heroism that she learned
so well from her mother.

My Bride's proof positive that M.S. does not necessarily mean that life is gonna suck.
Ours has been quite good and very rewarding and as we watch our freinds go through
heart attacks, cancer, divorces etc., we feel pretty lucky to have found each other (well I
do anyway).

We're looking forward to happy and peacefull holidays as all three girls will make it
home for Christmas this year, and I wish all associated with this forum the same
good fortune.

Happy Trails

Oh, if anyone does have an old Easy Racer kicking around.....I may be interested
in a year or so.

Similar to Cranky's wish list:

Here's hoping BluesDawg gets the reports from his treatments he's looking for.

An Assos 3 glove (winter) pack system in titanium color is on my list to Santa Claus.
Heard so much good about them although terribly expensive.

I really can't think of anything bike related that I need or want. Maybe the grandkids will teach me how to use my IPod I won't use it on the bike but it might be nice at the gym.

Cranky, thanks for a great story, most of which I read with tears in my eyes. It sounds like your family has everything you really need in each other.

Ditto, and also to the rest of you fighting the same battle.

We are planning a low outlay xmas, so I think I'll just add some bike tools to my growing collection. bk

Sorry, that one is already taken. And I do not share very well.

I would love to get a new set of Mavic Ksyrium wheels for my CAAD9 (so I could use the OEM wheels for another project) but would be happy with a Thomson Elite X-2 stem, 110mm, 10 degree in black, + a set of gum colored Campy-clone brake hoods for my Colnago

Ditto what NOS88 said.
I'd like a season which began in *march and ran thru late october (minimum) without the 20+ mph winds we had in western new york this year.
(for the uninitiated,western new york/the niagara region is prone to lake effect snowstorms right into early may)